Follow Sachin's footsteps: Ganguly tells Bengal colts

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Kolkata: Be it success or failure, former India captain Sourav Ganguly has seen it all, and the Bengal's favourite son shared his experience while giving a pep-talk to the state's U-19 team here today.
Asking them to follow the footsteps Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly told the youngsters that they should remain focus and committed to the sport. Comparing a cricketer's life to that of a boxer, Ganguly said: "Cricketers' life is like that of a boxer in the ring. You have to take blows but yet remain steady and focus".
Critics might have been harsh on Tendulkar in the recent past, but Ganguly said: "They must remember that out of 327 innings, Tendulkar has scored 51 hundreds and 67 half centuries."
"Most of the times, he comes to bat when the team is in a crisis with three wickets down, and yet he remains focus and builds his innings. Three things -- self-confidence, practice and patience -- are the most important things," he said asking the youngsters to develop a never-say-die attitude.
Hope Sachin plays his 200th Test on his home ground: BediMumbai: Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi today said that senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar should get to play his 200th Test match on his home ground here.
"The 200th Test match he will play is a great achievement. I hope that the 200th Test match is played in Mumbai. This is his home ground. In all fairness, I think he should get that opportunity to play that 200th Test match on his home ground," Bedi told reporters on the sidelines of a book launch -- 'India's Glorious Cricketing Heritage'.
There have been suggestions that the 40-year-old Tendulkar, who is two shy of completing 200 Test appearances, would call it a day after reaching the landmark during the hastily arranged two-Test series against the West Indies at home.
The spin legend said he would not like to speculate about Tendulkar's retirement plans. "If anyone can talk about Sachin Tendulkar's retirement or his final phase, it will only be Sachin himself," he said.
Former India coach Anshuman Gaekwad felt that people are speculating about the venue more than Tendulkar himself.
"Any player playing his 200th Test match would feel that it should happen in his home town, in his home ground. But you don't play cricket like this. If it happens over here then we would go and see it but if it is South Africa then we would think about it. But it is not compulsory that it should happen here.
"It is okay that you have an option and are being given a choice but otherwise, it can happen anywhere. Sachin Tendulkar himself doesn't have a problem, but we have a problem. Let him say where he should play. We are discussing where he should play, but I feel we should not debate on this," Gaekwad said.
Gaekwad further said: "All of us know his passion for cricket. After playing for so long, we cannot tell him how much he should play. He has brought his own standard so high, that if he cannot sustain it then he will himself retire. If he will feel he is becoming a liability then he will himself retire."